Stephen Hopkins
Jamaica | role = Director, producer}} Stephen Hopkins (born ) is a Jamaican-born television and film director, known for directing the pilot episode of 24. After the series was picked up, Hopkins stayed on to produce and direct several more episodes of the first season, including the finale. Hopkins was also responsible for suggesting his friend, Kiefer Sutherland, for the lead role of Jack Bauer after a long casting process that went through dozens of actors, including Richard Burgi. Hopkins was nominated for a Director's Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directional Achievement in a Dramatic Series, as well as two Emmy Awards for Best Direction of a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series. In 2017, he returned as an executive producer and director for 24: Legacy. Biography and career Hopkins was raised in Australia and England and attended Sutton Valence School. His directorial debut was the 1987 Australian independent thriller Dangerous Game, where he first worked with his long-time cinematographer Peter Levy. Subsequently, Hopkins directed films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1990), Predator 2 (1990, with Henry Kingi, Sr.), Judgment Night (1993), Blown Away (1994), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Lost in Space (1998), and Under Suspicion (2000, with Norma Maldonado). In television, Hopkins directed episodes of the horror anthology Tales of the Crypt and segments in Vault of Horror I and Tube Tales. After 24, Hopkins directed the TV-movie biopic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, starring Stephen Fry, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, and the horror film The Reaping. He has remained active in television, directing episodes of In Plain Sight (with Darin Heames) Shameless, and Californication (including the pilot, with James Frain, Evan Handler, Amy Price-Francis, Callum Keith Rennie, and Philip Shahbaz). Currently, Hopkins is a producer and regular director on Showtime's House of Lies, produced by Kate Garwood and featuring Phil Abrams, Tom Choi, Alan Dale, Currie Graham, and Tom Irwin. Hopkins directed Race (2016), a biopic about Jesse Owens' historic showing at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi-era Berlin, featuring Tony Curran and again filmed by Peter Levy. In January 2016, it was announced that Hopkins would direct the pilot for 24: Legacy, a planned 24 spinoff series. The pilot was filmed in March and April 2016. Hopkins also served as executive producer for the new season. The storyline in Season 1 where Teri Bauer suffers amnesia was partly inspired by a real such incident where Hopkins temporarily lost his own memory. ''24'' credits .]] Producer * Season 1: Co-Executive Producer * Legacy: Executive Producer Director *Season 1 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *''Legacy'' ** ** ** ''24''-related appearances * "The Genesis of 24," 24: Season One: Special Edition DVD * Hopkins recorded DVD audio commentary for the following: ** "Day 1: 12:00am-1:00am" (with Peter Levy) ** "Day 1: 11:00pm-12:00am" (with Leslie Hope) Selected filmography * Race (2016) * The Reaping (2006) * The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) * Under Suspicion (2000) * Lost in Space (1998) * The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) * Blown Away (1994) * Judgment Night (1993) * Predator 2 (1990) * A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) * Dangerous Game (1987) Television filmography * Houdini and Doyle (2016) * House of Lies (2011-present) * Californication (2008-2013) * Traffic (TV miniseries) (2004) * 24 (2001) * Tales from the Crypt (1991-1994) External links * * Category:Crew Category:Directors Category:Season 1 crew Category:Legacy crew Category:Emmy Award nominees